UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Vince Carter is “Half Man, Half Amazing,” and all Hall of Famer.
The former Nets star will be enshrined Sunday in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.
He’ll receive his orange jacket symbolizing basketball immortality and be presented, fittingly, by Julius Erving.
The 47-year-old Carter used to come to the Meadowlands and see his athletic idol’s number hanging from the rafters.
Now, the former Nets star who turned the dunk into an art form will present the high-flying one who perfected it.
“It’s crazy because I remember — obviously, going to Jersey, all of that — I would go in there every night and see that [No.] 32,” Carter told The Post. “I got to know Doc at the time, obviously. He’s a friend now.
“I made a call to Doc, and he didn’t answer. I left a message. … I remember he calls and hearing his excitement, I was like, ‘This is crazy.’ So add it to the beauty of what was already happening. Dr. J called me and said, ‘I’d love to be a part of your representation.’ And I was just like, f–k, let’s go.”
Sunday will be a highlight in a long career full of highlights.
The only man in NBA history to play in parts of four decades, Carter logged a league-record 22 seasons — and a catalog of spectacular plays: the 2000 NBA Slam Dunk title; the “Dunk of Death” over 7-footer Frederic Weis during the Olympics later that year; and that posterization of Alonzo Mourning.
While Carter played for eight teams, he’s most associated with the Nets and Raptors.
He played four-plus seasons for New Jersey, beginning upon the Dec. 17, 2004 heist that Nets president Rod Thorn pulled off that changed both the franchise and Carter.
“The thing that always baffled me was people were like, ‘Well, how come he didn’t do that for us in Toronto?’ And I never understood that because I was like, ‘It’s Jason freakin’ Kidd. Let’s start there.’ ” Carter explained. “[Richard Jefferson], the first day I got there, was like, ‘Welcome to the team. You’re going to love it. If I have any advice, the first thing I’d say is just run and have your head on a swivel.’
“It was just amazing.”
The same has been said of Carter, who earned the “Half Man, Half Amazing” nickname.
After averaging 15.9 points that season for the Raptors, he proved the perfect fit for the high-octane Nets.
He poured in 27.5 the rest of that season for New Jersey, still the highest-scoring campaign in the franchise’s NBA history.
Carter went on to feature in four playoff campaigns during his time in the swamp.
And in an iron-man tease of his staggering longevity, he missed just 11 games his entire Nets tenure.
As an indicator of his importance, they lost every one.
“[With] Jason, we’re running first. We were trying to get a layup, dunk, highlight. Then, we’ll do whatever. So it was just important for me,” Carter said. “[I said], ’Be yourself; don’t worry about it. Be the best version of yourself. They traded for you for a reason, so do what you’ve got to do.’
“Teams would front me in the post; [Kidd] used to say, ‘Let them front you because I’m going to throw it off the backboard. You can catch it and dunk it because now he’s behind you, and he can’t do anything about it.’ I said, ‘Well, damn, that’s genius,’ ” Carter recalled. “So that’s what we created, what we saw in New Jersey. I’m playing with Jason Kidd, man. This is lovely.”
In all, Carter scored over 25,000 points and was an eight-time All-Star.
On Jan. 25, his No. 15 jersey will be retired by the Nets, raised to the rafters next to those of Kidd and Erving.
And Sunday, he’ll join them in the Hall of Fame, as well.
Also to be enshrined Sunday is 88-year-old Knicks legend Dick Barnett.
